Members of the media in front of new wax figures of Swedish music band ABBA at the ABBA museum in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday. The figures depict former band members Agnetha Faeltskog (second left), Bjoern Ulvaeus (right), Benny Andersson (left) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (second right) (EPA)

A national commission for combating looting and trafficking in cultural heritage has been given the green light by the cabinet.

The Committee will be composed of one representative each from the legal services, the ministries of communications and works, foreign affairs, education, and justice, the antiquities department, customs and the Church.

The commission’s responsibilities will be to examine documentation, make recommendations and conclude agreements with third countries to prevent theft and illegal import and export of artefacts and to maintain…

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal for free legal aid to bondholders who wish to file lawsuits against the banks.

Private holders of convertible enhanced capital securities issued by the Bank of Cyprus and now-defunct Laiki Bank claim they were mis-sold the financial products, which were essentially wiped out following the March 2013 events, and demand to be compensated.

Many had also drawn loans using the securities as collateral, which they are now being asked to repay.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned US President Barack Obama on Tuesday against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran that would be a “countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare” by a country that “will always be an enemy of America”.

“If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons – it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons –…

Lifer Kyriacos Georgiades, 54, who threatened to go on hunger strike unless he was released on parole, has been promised by the State Legal services his wish will be granted by Easter following the intervention of the US embassy, his sister said on Tuesday.

He was also convinced by his family to refrain from the hunger strike.

“We his family, that don’t want his life to be in danger, have managed to convince him to suspend his…

Embattled director of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Marios Hannides was reportedly given the sack on Tuesday after the cabinet ratified a termination proposal by the organisation’s board of directors.

The CTO board has accused Hannides of squandering public money on unauthorised advertising campaigns, overseas trips, using office staff as chauffeurs outside office hours and other expenses, as detailed in a probe by Auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides.

The board earlier took the decision to terminate Hannides’ contract, but the move needed…

CEOs in Cyprus are more confident this year about their company’s revenue growth prospects, according to the 4th consecutive local survey carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Cyprus within the framework of the Global CEO survey held annually over the past 18 years.

This year’s global survey, which saw the participation of more than 1,300 CEOs from 77 countries including 84 from Cyprus, focused on the future of businesses and examined how megatrends are transforming the competitive landscape and the dynamics…

The resignation of Andri Antoniades, special administrator of legacy Laiki Bank, sparked a new controversy about central bank governor Chrystalla Georghadji.

Antoniades repeated allegations about a possible conflict of interest of the governor, whose estranged husband represents former Laiki chairman Andreas Vgenopoulos. Depositors at Laiki saw all their deposits in excess of €100,000 wiped out in March 2013, when the lender went into resolution.

Thousands of Russians, many carrying red carnations, on Tuesday filed past the coffin of Boris Nemtsov, the Kremlin critic whose killing last week, friends say, showed the hazards of speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Aides to Putin deny any involvement in killing Nemtsov, who was shot in the back four times on Friday within sight of the Kremlin walls. Nemtsov’s friends say he was the victim of an atmosphere of hatred whipped…

Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shi’ite militiamen sought to seal off Islamic State fighters in Tikrit and nearby towns on Tuesday, the second day of Iraq’s biggest offensive yet against a stronghold of the radical Sunni Islamist militants.

Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who has helped coordinate Baghdad’s counter-attacks against Islamic State since it seized much of northern Iraq in June, was overseeing at least part of the operation, witnesses told Reuters.

Iran on Tuesday rejected as “unacceptable” US President Barack Obama’s demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years, but said it would continue talks aimed at securing a deal, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Fars.

Fernando Alonso will miss next week’s season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix on doctors’ advice after a heavy crash in testing, the Spaniard’s McLaren team said on Tuesday.

“Fernando has understood and accepted that advice, and the two McLaren-Honda cars will therefore be driven in Australia by Fernando’s team-mate Jenson Button and the team’s test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen,” they said in a statement.

No pony tails, long hair or beards for those who protect and serve, says Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou and Cyprus’ police top ranking officers, after rejecting an Ombudswoman’s report asking that the police dress code be updated to allow more flexibility.

According to the police press and information office, the ministry decided to leave the dress code as it was, despite being established decades ago.

Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed and nine wounded as pro-Russian rebels shelled government positions despite a ceasefire deal, the military said on Tuesday, announcing Kiev’s highest casualty toll in several days.

The losses underscore the fragility of a two-week-old ceasefire agreement which Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called the last chance for peace between Kiev and the separatists he says are being armed by Russia.

Granting former defence minister Costas Papacostas a presidential pardon is a complicated issue, Attorney-general Costas Clerides has said, explaining that the ex minister’s failing health was not the only factor to be considered.

Speaking to CyBC radio, Clerides said it was not merely a legal issue. “On the one hand, this a humane issue due to the minister’s health, which is deteriorating. On the other hand though, our first concern is to protect the public interest and…

By Bejay Browne TWO eagles that have been nursed back to health were released on Tuesday morning in Paphos by members of the Game and Wildlife department to mark World Wildlife Day. According to Nick Kasinis, a senior Game and Wildlife Officer, the Bonelli’s eagle is a species under threat in Cyprus. The eagles, a mature female and an immature male aged around one and a half years old, were found in separate locations close to Stroumpi village…

The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia will bring to light the exhibition Printed Scarves and the Last Scarf Maker as of today, which will offer us all a historical account of the art of printed scarves on the island.

The exhibition attempts to revive a trade that no longer exists and a craft that defined the traditional dress code for Cypriot women and men from the 18th century until the middle of the 20th century.

Archives

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